The ‘British King’
The
first direct steamer lines between London and New Zealand followed the
tracks of the sailing ships of the Shaw Savill Company and the New
Zealand Shipping Company lines. These went out via the Cape of Good
Hope and crossed the southern ocean to Wellington and other ports in
New Zealand. Homeward bound, the steamers ran with the westerlies to
Cape Horn and so home via Monte Video or Rio de Janeiro or Tenerife.
Since the opening of the Panama Canal most of these liners, and those
of other more recently formed companies, crossed the Pacific and used
the Canal, but some vessels still regularly used what long ago became
known as the ‘blue water route’.
Both the New Zealand Shipping
Company and the Shaw Savill & Albion Company - the latter formed by
the amalgamation of the Shaw Savill and Albion Companies - went into
steam in 1883, using chartered ships at first. The New Zealand Shipping
Company’s pioneers were the British King and the British Queen, both
four-masted vessels of 3558 tons gross register, owned by the British
Shipowners’ Association.
The
British King, sailing from London on the 1st January 1883, was the
first of the chartered steamers to arrive in New Zealand waters. She
was also the first steamer to carry frozen meat to London via Cape
Horn, though not the first to leave New Zealand with this class of
cargo. The German steamer Marsala was the first, though she lost it
en-route. The Elderslie, of 1801 tons, which took a cargo in 1884, was
six months after the British King.
Note:-
After
the British King and British Queen were used to prove the possibilities
of the ‘blue water route’ for steamers, William Denny & Bros. of
Dumbarton built for the New Zealand Shipping Company 5 steamers, - the
Ontario, Aorangi and Ruapehu, all of 4163 tons, and the Rimutaka and
Kaikoura of 4474 tons. The first to arrive was the Tongariro, which
reached the southern Dominion on the 11th December 1883
The above information from:-
Pacific Steamers
By Will Lawson
The BRITISH QUEEN, sister ship to the BRITISH KING showing her full
compliment of sails. The ‘King probably used sail propulsion during her
voyage out to New Zealand when the prevailing winds allowed.
Copyright Gavin W Petrie 2001